There I was, among 20,000 others in London's iconic O2 arena lit up in blue as Andy Murray took Novak Djokovic apart 6-3, 6-4 to not only win the ATP tour finals but also end the year as world number 1 - he was at the summit, the top of the mountain, on top of the world. Andy Murray was, in that moment, the very best tennis player alive.

It was 2016, the crowd was full of A-listers like Kevin Spacey, Woody Harrison and there was little old me, sitting in amazement at the ease with which our home hero demolished his rival.

But 2016 was a long time ago, and many things have happened in the time since that - just ask Kevin Spacey....

Murray’s more recent years have been plagued with injury, chronic pain and setback after setback.

When many think of Andy they perhaps underplay his achievements.

There is no doubt that Sir Andy Murray has had an incredible career. Operating at a time when we have had not 1, not 2, but 3 contenders for the greatest player of all time, Andy has reached a remarkable 11 grand slam singles finals - winning 3. He has two Olympic Gold medals and spent 41 weeks as World Number One.

For a time, Nadal, Djokovic and Federer were joined by Murray under the name “The big 4.” When you line up their individual accolades it may appear that Andy was more than a little fortunate to be included in such a group, and the naysayers will argue that he doesn’t belong - but included he was and it was no accident.

Andy Murray competed shot for shot with these 3 legends of the game and between them they dominated the Grand Slam events for a decade. Murray is joint 9th on the all time list of Grand Slam Final appearances and the only other player of his generation to feature in the top 20 - excluding, Djokovic, Federer and Nadal who sit 1,2 and 3 respectively on that list.

Murray has also led his country to Davis Cup and Olympic success and it was perhaps at the 2012 Olympics that he captured the hearts of his home nation. Just 2 weeks after he had lost in the Wimbledon final to Federer he was back on centre court, in the gold medal match on Centre at Wimbledon, against who you ask... Federer, of course.

But this time it was different. Perhaps free of the Grand Slam pressure, Murray was majestic and took Federer apart to claim the gold medal. No repeat of the Wimbledon tears of disappointment and maybe validation for himself that he could win the big prizes.

The US open would soon follow, before Murray finally captured Wimbledon in 2013 for the first time - an achievement no Brit had achieved since Fred Perry in 1936.

Off the court Andy has also shown his values, a leading voice in all things gender equality and never short of an opinion or two.

In recent years on court Andy has been hit badly by injury, yet his most endearing quality has perhaps been seen most clearly since his decline. It would be easy for someone who has had so much competitive and financial success to hang up the racket when he no longer finds himself at the business ends of championships - let alone when his body is not doing what he wants it to do.

But Andy Murray is about more than money and trophies. In recent years we have seen him battling harder than ever to try and recapture the results of yesterday. Chasing down points many would say are lost causes, dropping down to the lower levels of tennis in the search for wins and of course, jumping (carefully) on and off the treatment table more than anyone in their right mind would.

Murray has shown himself to be a true lover of the game, doing far far more than most would consider sensible to just keep playing and competing in any capacity.

Perhaps it is that he can’t let it go. Perhaps it is that he can’t face the reality of life beyond the net. Or perhaps it is something in him, the thing that made him such a great champion in the first place. Something that very few of us have - pure love of the game.

British tennis has been so lucky to have him. For those old enough to remember, Andy was the young lad coming though just as one Tim Henman was in the twilight of his career. Tim had given us such hope without ever getting the top prizes, but we loved him all the same. Andy has given us what Tim never could, and when he finally does go we will be crying out for a player of his calibre to cheer for. Lets hope the gap between Andy Murray and the next Andy Murray isn’t as long as we waited after Fred Perry.

Thank you for everything Andy, from us all you get in love, no 40 I’m afraid.